Should hateful and conspiracy theory material on social media be regulated and by whom?

Should hateful and conspiracy theory material on social media be regulated and by whom?

Purpose: This essay will test your ability to write under a strict and often stressed time limit. You will have a limited amount of time to gather, sort, and use information in order to write a critical two to three page response to a presentation. This essay is designed to mimic the way in which writing often needs to be completed on the job, in spirit if not in format.

Like the midterm and the final, this assignment focuses on an area of writing where students are often weak, and in this case, two areas: political science and social media.

Instruction: One of the current problems facing our democracy and global democracy is the prevalence and spread of false information and conspiracy theories on social media. Actor and director, Sasha Baron Cohen, speaking at a conference of the Anti-Defamation League, examines the how and why this problem persists on social media, and the real dangers inherent in it. Watch the presentation and then answer these questions.

Should hateful and conspiracy theory material on social media be regulated and by whom?

If so, then how should this regulation take place?

If not, then how can we combat the spreading of dangerous false information without regulation?

Is classifying social media as “publishing,” as Cohen suggests, a viable solution?

Cohen, Sacha Baron. “Never Is Now 2019 | ADL International Leadership Award Presented to Sacha Baron Cohen.” YouTube, uploaded by Anti-Defamation League, 21 November 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymaWq5yZIYM

One more time: you do not need to agree with the information presented to you, you should not pander to what I think, and you should focus on writing your argument, using the techniques we have been working on all semester.

Grading: I am well aware that this assignment will cause some of you to freeze up and choke, so this will be graded lightly. Put forth the effort, deliver a minimum of two, well-thought out, revised, MLA pages, and you will earn 9 of 10 points. The last point is for those who go above and beyond what this essay is asking for. Screwing up for this is fine; not trying will result in a failing grade, or, possibly, a zero.